The Worst Episodes Of My Favorite Shows

This is a TV that likely doesn’t work because it is not plugged in. (Source: @sveninho)

It’s easy to name your favorite episodes of your favorite shows. It’s fun to share your thoughts with friends about the laughs that stand out and what makes that show superior to the others. But, have you ever challenged yourself to find your least favorite episode of your favorite program? Admittedly, it’s probably not as fun to talk about in your social circles (as much as I would enjoy it). So, today, I dove deep into my favorite shows and found my least favorite episodes.

The Office

Season 6 Episode 14 – “The Banker”

The Office is the show I never stop binging. I finish the Finale and then immediately restart with the Pilot, and the cycle continues. During these binges there’s only one episode I will skip past every time—The Banker (S06, E14).

Ugh, The Banker! The skid mark on an otherwise fantastic season complete with some of my favorite and classic episodes. This episode is basically just a clip show highlighting memories from previous seasons. Yes, it’s emotional and they did a good job with it, but it’s a major downer. It does brace you for the other major downers to follow (Nellie) but it’s completely skippable and I do every time. For the record: picking a least favorite episode after Season 7 is a cheap Busch League move.

Seinfeld

Season 9 Episode 20 – “The Puerto Rican Day”

Speaking of making a Busch League pick, I had to follow up with Seinfeld. Everybody loves to rip on the Seinfeld Finale, largely for reasons I explained previously about Clip Shows. I get nobody wants a clip show, but for a finale, as they did in Seinfeld, I have no issue. Well, minimum issue. I think it worked! I liked them bringing back all the characters from previous episodes. Karma, Jerry! Karma! However, to find my least favorite episode, you don’t have to go far from there—The Puerto Rican Day.

There are many things that make “The Puerto Rican Day“ my least favorite episode of one of my least favorite shows. It’s offensive to man, first off. But the bigger issue is it wasn’t that funny. Not a lot of laughs. If you’re going to choose to be offensive, you better get some laughs out of it at least! (Don’t be offensive though, I’m not condoning that). It just fell short of every mark for me. And then was followed by clip shows and that Finale! Rough stretch to end the greatest show ever.

A last note, I pulled up a list of all the episodes season by season to do this making notes of which ones could be the least favorite, but upon landing on The Puerto Rican Day I knew it had to be that one. Then, while checking my work because I have no idea what the general population thinks is the worst episode (outside of the finale) and Variety wrote an article ALSO calling it the worst. I feel validated! I didn’t pick it because they did. No conformity going on! No ads! All my boring opinion. Eat Fresh.

South Park

Season 3 Episode 4 – Jakovasaurs

It’s hard to get my to bad talk South Park. I love that show and everything Trey and Matt touch (Orgazmo, BASEketball, etc). So believe it pains me to come on here and talk about my least favorite episode but…man, is it bad. My least favorite episode can be none other than—Jakovasaurs.

Holy annoying, Batman. I can’t sit through this episode, that alien dinosaur thing is way too obnoxious to handle. I can’t. Even thinking about this episode hurts my head. Why!? Why do that to us!?!

Family Guy

Season 12 Episode 02 – Vestigial Peter

Speaking of annoying, let’s talk about Peter’s little neck twin, Chip. Just when I was thinking no character on TV could be more annoying than the damn Jakovasaurs in comes motherloving Chip saying “hold my beer.” Ugh. I can’t make it through the episode! Too annoying. There are still laughs in the episode, granted, but I can’t voluntarily sit through that. Shut up, Meg? No, shut up, Chip.

That ‘70s Show

Season 4 Episode 24 – That ‘70s Musical

Finally, we’ve reached the ‘70s. This show has brought me many a laughs over the years. This could have been the hardest to pick a least favorite for. Of course, there’s the episode where Randy is introduced and all things go south from there. But I figured picking that would be cheap, as would any episode without Eric or Kelso so I had to make my final decision—That ‘70s Musical.

Personally, I wish they never did this. It’s cringeworthy. Feels like it goes on forever and ever with no end in sight. That moment could truly be worse than when we get introduced to Randy. As Red would put it “I wish I had a dozen feet so I could shove them in all the writers asses!”

That does it! Those are my least favorite episodes of my favorite shows. What are yours? Let me know on Twitter @CortFreeman

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South Park: Beyond the Farts

They say watching too much TV will rot your brain.  Perhaps my brain has already rotted and turned to mush, but I have to disagree with this quote.  Yes, there is a lot of garbage on TV today that certainly does society no good (from Honey Boo Boo to Jersey Shore) but there is a program that’s been on TV a long time serving as a compactor for all the trash on TV–South Park.

I know what you’re thinking, South Park is trash.  It’s toilet humor. Offensive to Christians, African Americans, Jews,Asians, Whites, Hispanics, Mormons, Scientologists, Gays, Straights, Aliens, Goths, Obese, Homeless…I could keep this sarcastic, italicized list going but I think you get the point and/or have heard it before, and hopefully find it as laughable as I do.  Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone poke fun at EVERYBODY, and do a stellar job at it.  They accurately point out the flaws that exist inside all of us. They attack Conservatives and Liberals alike.  They are, in fact, equal opportunity offenders.  So, stop taking it so personally, softie.

It’s not my mission to talk about the criticisms of SP, though, I just had to say hi to the haters.  My thesis is that Matt and Trey are geniuses.  I don’t throw that word out there often, but that’s what they are.  They are in a small fraternity of modern comedy “geniuses” (in my personal opinion, no true list exists) along with: Larry David, Louis CK, Jerry Seinfeld, Ricky Gervais (many will disagree with this but look at his track record and what he’s done) and I’m going to conclude my list there.  To me, that list is today’s comedy geniuses.  I would even take it a step further, by saying they are the best writers in TV today (yes, I know Trey writes and all that but I will be using “they” because as they point out in 6 Days to Air, they are a team and one cannot thrive successfully without the other). They tackle taboo subjects that no other show dare go near, and truly make you think and reflect–whether it’s Honey Boo Boo, Amendment Rights, Presidential Elections, Concussions in Football, etc they hit the nail on the head with what is wrong with our society and pop culture.  Which leads me to say most of the shows critics, probably just don’t get the joke.

Vigilantism is illegal.  You cannot, legally, go out and protect the streets from bad guys and take matters into your own hands.  I saw with my own two eyes the masses take to Twitter to publicly proclaim what they would do to George Zimmerman if they saw him.  As much as we all wanted justice to be served, we could do nothing.  The Judicial System failed and we just have to live with it, right? Wrong.  It is not illegal to put Zimmerman to death on the electric chair on your TV show.  That is exactly what Matt and Trey did.  In a way, justice was served last Wednesday when South Park put Zimmerman in his place.

Another recent episode that I found to be very inspirational and accurate was their take on the “Bully” movie, in their Season 16 Episode, “Butterballs“. I don’t want to give away many spoilers, I’d rather you watch it for yourself.  It contains some of the best writing, both comically and in thought, that I’ve seen in a long, long time.  This quick clip shows the genius writing and point of view they have: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/412207/night-grandma.  Smart, funny, and really connects with the audience.  In that same episode, Trey and Matt convey how they feel if a director/filmmaker truly feels that their product is a “must see” like “Bully” was, that it should be available for free–not something to make a profit out of.  No coincidence, this is how they feel about their own work.  All episodes can be viewed for free online at SouthParkStudios.com.

The next time you hear somebody talking about how South Park is nothing more than toilet humor, do what Cartman would do and “kick ’em square in the nuts”.

With Love and Laughter,

Cort Freeman